When he's right, he's really right. When he's wrong, he's really wrong. And on this one, he's obviously right. Critics are pointing out that Maher himself contributed to the narrative he now admits was being actively protected back in October 2020, which is true. But at least he's now recognizing and admitting that what happened was an exceptionally disturbing case of censorship by a partisan press, for the purpose of helping the Media-Tech-Democrat alliance get its preferred candidate elected – with an assist from dozens of intelligence community alumni.
If ever there was a textbook case of something that might qualify as "deep state" collusion, this would be it:
“It looks like the left wing media just buried the story because it wasn’t part of their narrative and that’s why people don’t trust the media” – @BillMaher on suppression of Hunter Biden laptop story. #RealTime pic.twitter.com/XXbMKJUnix
— Brent Baker ???? (@BrentHBaker) April 2, 2022
"I remember reading about this a couple of years ago, the New York Post came across… Hunter Biden's computer, which he apparently left at a computer repair store. I didn't even know they existed. And if anyone should not leave his computer with other people, it would be Hunter Biden just for the personal stuff. But it also had stuff about how, you know, c'mon, he's a ne'er-do-well. I'm sorry, Hunter Biden, but you are… You made a living being ne'er-do-well who was taking money just because you were the vice president's son and you had influence...He got, I think $4.8, yes, million from Chinese energy companies to sit on the board and consult..."So the New York Post got a hold of what was in the computer. And, you know, because the New York Post is a Republican paper, and The New York Times and The Washington Post are the Democratic paper[s]… And the Republican paper, Twitter… canceled their account! They can't even report on this story. And now two years later, The New York Times and The Washington Post have come around and say, ‘Okay, there was something there.'..."It looks like the left-wing media just buried the story because it wasn't part of their narrative and that's why people don't trust the media."
Journalists had spent the previous four years ritually flagellating themselves for giving Trump an opening in 2016 by reporting on Hillary Clinton's email scandal. That was a genuine scandal with national security implications, but its 11th-hour prominence helped Trump pull off an inside straight and win the presidency, and the journo class was not going to allow that to happen again. So they all worked together to kill off a story about the shady foreign business dealings of Joe Biden's son in the weeks preceding the 2020 election. Now they're admitting the laptop was authentic all along – not "Russian disinformation," an assertion made by the Biden campaign and repeated ad nauseam, without evidence – and that there are real questions about what the younger Biden was up to. As I pointed out in a recent Fox appearance, media figures who dismissed the whole story a year-and-a-half ago don't get much credit for extremely belatedly coming around to taking it more seriously (skip ahead to the three-minute mark):
"She wanted to crush this thing." @guypbenson reacts after Democrat Rep Maxine Waters tells homeless people to go home and warns a reporter against running the story on housing vouchers @BillHemmer @DanaPerino pic.twitter.com/r0Bq7P4mMy
— America's Newsroom (@AmericaNewsroom) March 31, 2022
Why are they suddenly scrambling to exhume a story they'd labored to bury? They're probably hearing that there's fire to this smoke, so they need to get out in front of potential indictments stemming from something they'd all pretended wasn't real. Here's a fair-minded reporter explaining what DOJ sources are telling journalists in DC:
The federal investigation into Hunter Biden's business practices is broader than previously known, with multiple sources telling CBS News the probe is exploring whether the younger Biden and his associates violated tax, money laundering and foreign lobbying laws. Business records reviewed by CBS News and documents released by Republicans in Congress indicate Hunter Biden and his firm were involved in multiple financial transactions with a Chinese energy company called CEFC. Republicans allege that the company is an arm of the Chinese government...Earlier this month, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said any answers to questions about the investigation would have to come from the Justice Department or Hunter Biden's representatives. "I'm a spokesperson for the United States," Psaki added. "He doesn't work in the government."
Well, the White House Chief of Staff is commenting on this individual who "doesn't work in the government":
Q: "A Chinese energy company paid $4.8 million to entities controlled by Hunter and the president's brother. Is the president confident his family didn't cross any ethical lines?"
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 3, 2022
BIDEN CHIEF OF STAFF: "Ah, George, the president's confident that his family did the right thing." pic.twitter.com/hNZAMQ85Kg
And you know who does work in the government? Joe Biden. Remember, he has categorically denied having engaged in any conversations whatsoever with his son regarding his foreign business entanglements, which seems extremely unlikely to be true. And there are documents and witnesses that potentially implicate the president (the "Big Guy"?) in his son's lucrative overseas schemes. Biden's dubious blanket denials, coupled with testimony of a close Biden family associate, make this a live issue for the president too.